This is the first meeting between Iran and New Zealand in the FIFA World Cup. Both cruised through the qualifying stages, with Iran losing just one game in the 16-match tournament while New Zealand reached their third final thanks to a flawless campaign in Oceania.
Scroll down to read FIFA World Cup 2026 match updates between Iran and New Zealand.
Coming up, Iran on US soil: Tensions, security – and divided fans
Iran fans wave as the players arrive in Tijuana, Mexico for the World Cup. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Los Angeles has another name. Iranians call it Tehrangels, the largest concentration of Iranians outside of Iran. On Monday evening, a football match unlike any in World Cup history is held: involving a country engaged in a military conflict with the host nation the day before the game. Iran will face New Zealand on Monday while a peace deal was signed between Iran and the US on Sunday.
Despite the agreement, the Iranian players will travel to the United States from their base in Tijuana, Mexico, the day before their game, play the match and return to Mexico the same night. These are the logistics of war in a competition designed for peace.
“I’ve been to three World Cups and they always say, once you get off the plane and enter the host country, there’s just a unique atmosphere of friendship and globality,” third World Cup-winning striker Mehdi Taremi said from Tijuana last week. “Unfortunately, I’m not feeling it right now. There’s a lot of tension. You can feel it in the atmosphere.”